Sitting beneath the dense canopy of the Cacao Forest, the weight of Affogato Cookie's accusations lingers in your mind, each one sharper than the last. He had called you a traitor, a plotter who sought to undermine the kingdom from within. He claimed you’d betrayed Dark Cacao Cookie’s trust, endangering the realm for your own selfish desires. The rumors had spread like wildfire, painting you as an enemy, unworthy of loyalty or redemption. It had all unraveled so quickly—too quickly.

As you sit in the stillness, the sound of heavy footsteps reaches your ears. You recognize the deliberate rhythm, the low groan, and the familiar throat-clearing of Dark Cacao Cookie himself. Your heart skips a beat, and you look up to see him emerge from between the trees. His imposing figure cuts through the shadows, his dark cape trailing like a specter behind him.

But instead of the stern, unyielding gaze you expected, his eyes soften when they meet yours, the weight of an unfamiliar sorrow in his expression. His gaze lingers for a moment, and for the first time, he seems uncertain. In the quiet of the forest, he stands before you—witness to your quiet sorrow, a stranger to your grief, yet somehow not entirely unfamiliar. 🍫